We can’t have a modern-day discussion about technology without mentioning AI. It’s on everyone’s lips as we come to terms with what it’s capable of and how it will shape different industries. AI in gaming is one particular discussion that’s been gathering weight in recent times.
There’s a lot of chatter about how artificial intelligence will impact the gaming world. We’re not just talking about video games here – all types of games can be influenced by AI. Some believe it’s the next tech revolution and can save the industry, while others think it’s the beginning of the end.
So, is AI in gaming good or bad? The only way to know is by pouring through some of the positive and negative points in this discussion.
AI can slash video game production costs
Do you know how much it costs to make modern games in 2024? Most people aren’t aware of this, but a lot of the biggest video game titles have budgets the size of Hollywood movies. Yes, you will find indie games that cost far less to develop and produce, but we’re talking about the Triple-A titles that gather all the headlines.
According to Techreport, many titles scheduled for release in 2024-2025 will have budgets exceeding $200 million. That’s absurd – and it doesn’t even take into account the marketing costs. This is one area where AI wants to make a significant impact, helping to lower the overall costs in this industry.
How? By using things like generative AI and working with artists to create worlds in a flash or come up with character designs. It takes a lot of the legwork out of the development process and could mean companies can develop quality games with smaller budgets.
NPCs gain improved behavioural patterns
AI-driven NPC behaviour isn’t a new development in the gaming industry. Non-playable characters play vital roles in different games as they bring the stories to life. You interact with them and they give you quests or provide important information about where to go next. Many of the NPC encounters you face are strictly coded to do one thing – but some will adapt based on other aspects of the game.
Artificial intelligence is used to give these NPCs more control and flexibility over their actions. If they notice you’ve done something in the game, this could trigger a different reaction than if you didn’t complete a quest or buy an item. Games like Far Cry have used AI for years to improve the way NPCs interact with the player. Enemies will flank you in Far Cry if you try to camp in an area behind cover – or they may choose to use different weapons to flush you out.
This type of thing is becoming commonplace in lots of games, yet AI isn’t finished. As the technology develops, we could see smarter NPCs with more capabilities and better behavioural patterns. It could spell the end of rigid story structures in games, opening possibilities for unique experiences based on how you play the game.
More personalisation for the player
Following on from the previous point, artificial intelligence holds the key to more personalisation for players. Your gaming experiences may differ from others based on how you play a game and how the world around you reacts to your decisions. It makes games more immersive – and it brings a higher playability factor as you try to find different ways of playing your favourite game.
On an even simpler level, AI is being used to give more personalisation for character customisation – especially in RPGs. Systems exist to make instant AI-generated art for your RPGs, allowing you to make unique characters and give more of a background to them through the art. Again, it provides a far more immersive experience and will be something that’s heavily leant into in the board game RPG genre for sure.
Perhaps we’ll even see this technology bleed into video game franchises. Instead of building a character by choosing different elements, maybe games will let you use a prompt to design the perfect digital character through AI. Then, you can use the typical slidey bar system to alter the elements and get it perfect. All in all, the possibilities for personalisation are endless.
AI helps make more expansive and adaptable games
Video games utilise generative AI to make their worlds and storylines more expansive and adaptable. Again, it’s this idea of moving away from a linear game with a clear start and end point. AI technology can generate new places for you to visit or craft new enemies and NPCs based on what you’ve done in the game.
Two clear examples of this are No Man’s Sky and Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. Both were released almost ten years ago, which shows how prevalent AI has always been in video game development. With No Man’s Sky, generative AI creates new planets and systems for players to visit. It continuously expands the galaxy, ensuring you never run out of new places to visit. This aligns with the game’s main story of letting you explore the galaxy – you always discover new things.
Shadow of Mordor used a less complex AI system to create its Nemesis System. This will craft new enemies for you to go up against during the game, and it’s all down to what you do as a player. If you defeat certain enemies, this could promote others or dictate existing enemies’ strengths/weaknesses. The point is, it makes the game more adaptable so your experience always changes.
There’s a risk of losing the human touch in game development
We’ve talked about all the good aspects of AI in gaming, but what about the downsides? The loss of human touch will always be a negative talking point in the AI debate. For game developers, there’s a fear that companies will simply use generative AI to create everything. This will lead to stories with no feeling or emotion – and a high likelihood of most games following very similar formats.
If you use generative AI for character designs, there’s a risk that they all look the same or follow similar art styles. The big fear is that we end up with a stale industry. Games get churned out quicker and for less money, but there’s never anything truly unique because you’ve taken the human element out of it.
That’s why there must be a line where AI is concerned. It has many uses, but it should never be a complete substitute for human storytellers or artists. In fact, most game companies find that artificial intelligence works best when people power it. Devs and artists must learn to work with AI to see the full benefits. 
AI creates some privacy issues
Similarly, there will always be concerns regarding privacy and AI. These systems revolve around collecting data and learning from it. How can video game developers ensure players that their data won’t be compromised? More specifically, how are the AI systems collecting data, what data are they collecting, and how is it stored?
The privacy issue is likely the biggest one facing the gaming industry as it leans heavier on AI systems. As long as solutions can be crafted to prevent privacy concerns, there shouldn’t be any major problems in the future.
Being heavily reliant on AI may lead to more bugs
Everyone talks about AI as if it’s 100% perfect. However, that is far from the case. If generative AI can make mistakes from simple prompts in ChatGPT, then what errors could it produce in game development?
Concerns arise that developing games with a heavy reliance on AI will lead to more bugs. Even worse, these bugs are harder to spot because you don’t go through the “normal” development process. When developers do spot the bugs, they’re harder to fix as they don’t know what caused them.
You also have issues with highly unpredictable behaviour if every NPC is powered by AI and given complete freedom. It could easily lead to game-breaking glitches, which is why there are so many nuances to how game development companies can and should use artificial intelligence.
Is AI in gaming a welcome addition or something to fear?
After looking at the arguments from both camps, it’s easy to see both the good and bad aspects of AI in gaming. Some of the positives seem incredibly exciting and may push the boundaries of games further than ever before. If everything works correctly, we could have more expansive games that continuously adapt and become more replayable. Games may also cost less to develop, which could bring their prices down.
However, that’s a big if.
There’s no doubt that AI in gaming can be (and already is) a brilliant thing. The onus is on game developers to continue using it in the right way. Fears start to creep in when there’s an overreliance on this technology, particularly if it means many human artists and developers lose their jobs. We must maintain the human feel in games, but AI can be a powerful tool to help improve the overall experience for everyone.
